RE: The passing of Murray Rose

Michael Heather — Sat, 19 May 2012 01:22:11 GMT

I met Mr. Rose at the 1981 nationals, he was a delightful person and gentleman. He also won the 1650 with a 17:56, about 1 1/2 minutes faster than anyone else in the age group.

RE: The passing of Murray Rose

Frank Thompson — Thu, 17 May 2012 08:02:01 GMT

Here is a nice story about Murray Rose by Tony Johnson. Swimming with Murray: A Tribute to Murray Rose -- May 16, 2012. www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../30546.asp

RE: The passing of Murray Rose

Former Member — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:45:40 GMT

thanks for posting!

RE: The passing of Murray Rose

Former Member — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:16:40 GMT

That is an amazing tribute Frank. Well done. For him to be able to win at those varying distances (400m-1500m) is absolutley amazing. He will be sorely missed and is a true champion of our sport.

RE: The passing of Murray Rose

Former Member — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:01:40 GMT

Murray Rose a great swimmer. Met him first at a swim meet at Yale University pool. Then in Vancouver at the 1954 British empire and Commonwealth games. He was a gentleman and a friend. A nicer guy you could never meet. He was my favorite Aussie swimmer. We attended dinners with the Queen and Duke of Edinburough. What a good guy he was.

RE: The passing of Murray Rose

Frank Thompson — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:31:05 GMT

Murray Rose was in a film in 2003 called "Swimming Upstream" and it was the life of a fellow swimmer named Tony Fingleton. There were some other Australian swimmers in the film as well and he reflects about his experiences with Murray in his life that I found very interesting. MURRAY ROSE - A GOLDEN CHAMPION OF SWIMMING After winning three gold medals at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Murray Rose was dubbed the golden boy of Australian swimming. It was not just because of his handsome, blond looks but also because he epitomized all that was great about Australian swimming at a time when it seemed that every time an Australian swimmer swam a race, a World Record was broken. And perhaps no one broke more at that time than Murray Rose. What also made him such a revered and popular figure was that he carried his success with such style and grace. He was diligent in his determination to be the best he could be and wore his fame and achievements lightly. He was generous to others, showed concern for his fellow teammates and lived an exemplary life as a giant of his sport, in a country that reveres its sporting champions perhaps a little more than any other country. He was also a gent. I got to know Murray when I won a place on the Australian team that competed in the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth in 1962. Murray had, by this time, won yet another Gold Medal in the same event - the 400 meters freestyle - in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. He was by far the most revered and glamorous member of the Australian team. Murray went on to win two more Gold Medals (I believe) at those Games and his fame grew even more. I was Murray's roommate during those Games. Murray came to dominate the news because of another reason however. He had a romance with a very pretty (and equally blonde) diver on the English team. Reporters and photographers descended and it became something that preceded the kind of thing that one associates with the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Somehow, I was persuaded to run interference for them so that they could have some moments of privacy during this frenzy of excitement. I'm not sure why I accepted but I was young then and not too bright, I suppose... But it was fun to witness and such was the level of his fame that it was impressive to witness it up close and personal, as the old saying goes. But more important to me than that was Murray Rose, more than any other person, changed the direction of my life. I knew I was more or less at the end of my swimming days. I wasn't sure what lay ahead. I quizzed Murray relentlessly about his time at the University of Southern California where he had gone for the previous four years and had majored in Drama. I had no such ambitions but I was certainly naive because I knew precious little about the intricacies of getting such a thing as a scholarship to a college in America. John Kennedy was President of the United States at the time, of course, and I thought he was the most magnetic and charismatic figure of the time. I knew that John Kennedy had gone to Harvard. I'd like to go there, I thought. Murray urged me to try. What did I have to lose? And so I did. With Murray's help, I wrote to someone with the exalted title of Dean of Admissions and waited to see what would happen. Murray told me how to do such things as filling in the myriad forms and all that. By some miracle, I managed to pull the wool over the eyes of this Dean of Admissions and I was given a full scholarship to Harvard. It completely altered the arc of my life and I have never looked back. I even managed to graduate in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. And it is Murray I have to thank for setting me on that path. I married after graduation and moved with my wife to New York where I have lived ever since. In 2002, I wrote a screenplay about my early life in Australia which was made into a film called "Swimming Upstream". It starred the Academy Award/Tony Award/Emmy Award actor Geoffrey Rush as my father and the Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winning actress, Judy Davis as my mother. Jesse Spencer, who plays a doctor on the Fox-TV Series "House" played me. The film dealt with my swimming career (the 'swimming' part of the title. But more importantly, the 'upstream' part of the title depicted in harsh terms my upbringing by an abusive and alcoholic father. It was during pre-production when I hit on the bright idea that it might be fun to include some of my old buddies from my swimming days in cameo roles. The producers were thrilled with the idea and so I contacted Kevin Berry and discussed it with him. He was on board almost before I had finished explaining the idea. I told him that I wanted Murray Rose to be the first person to be asked to be a part of it. Murray happily accepted it. Then Kevin rounded up Dawn Fraser, John and Ilsa Konrads and Michael Wenden. Once filming began, the schedule was set and a large circle placed around the date which we all referred to as 'Swimmmer's Day'. Murray, Dawn and the others all flew to Brisbane where the film was shot. It was a great reunion for me. What I had planned was that the night before "Swimmer's Day" , I would take them all out for dinner at a restaurant close to the hotel on the Brisbane River. I suggested that we assemble first in my suite for a quick drink and then we would go to the lobby of the hotel where I had asked Geoffrey Rush to join us. There was much excitement amongst the group to meet Australia's foremost actor. "Are you certain Geoffrey is coming?" "It's definite?" "He won't be shooting a scene or something?" Yes. Yes. And no. At this moment, my phone rang. I answered it. "Tony, it's Geoffrey." His voice rose in excitement. "Hi, Geoffrey, " I said. "Tony, I've just met Murray Rose!" They had bumped into each other at the costume department where Murray was trying on a1950s Panama hat, I think. We met in the lobby and Geoffrey was exhuberent to be meeting all these wonderful athletes. When we enterted the restaurant later, a hush fell over the place as we were shown to our table. But that was nothing compared to what it was like the following day when we all walked onto the set - the set being the Valley Olympic pool. Perhaps it was imagination but I felt that somehow the air had been sucked out of the space such was the impression these icons made on those assembled. It was a moment! The filming went on in its painstaking way. I had written some lines for Murray because I knew that he had had roles in various Hollywood films. He played a reporter who asks my character if I was going to win. It was not quite a soliloquoy from 'Hamlet' but Murray approached it seriously and professionally. I made Kevin Berry play Murray's assistant or something and I pushed myself into the scene by playing the photographer who says, "Here, Tony" and flash one of those old cameras that popped the flashlight and if one wasn't careful, could take one's eyebrows off at the same time. John and Ilsa and Mike Wenden played coaches and Dawn Fraser played the coach of the character actually playing Dawn Fraser. While we were waiting for our call to play our parts, Murray, Kevin and I sat to one side and chatted about our lives and how this film came to be and who knows what else. Later that day, one of the young swimmers who swam in the races on film told me that he listened to every word we said. I said that I hoped we had said something mildly interesting. He told me that he didn't remember a word. It was to him an 'awesome' experience just to be in the same space as the three of us. It brought home to me the fact that one loses the sense of what achievements the likes of what Murray had accomplished can mean to those who can only witness them from afar. People like Murray become icons not just because of their feats in a particular area but by who they are after they have done so. The following day, the entire crew came to me to tell me that the day had been the most exciting day on a film set that they had ever had - and this from a group, it might be safe to say, had seen it all. Murray was a great champion. He was a great role model. He was also a great friend and I will miss him always. Tony Fingleton

RE: The passing of Murray Rose

Former Member — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:38:23 GMT

What a legacy. Thanks for posting this. After reading it I looked up some additional facts (wikipedia). Rose was the patron of 'The Rainbow Club', which teaches disabled children how to swim. He appeared in the 1964 surf movie Ride the Wild Surf, in the 1968 drama Ice Station Zebra, The Patty Duke Show, Magnum PI and Matlock. I'd like to see his work in the films and TV shows now.

RE: The passing of Murray Rose

TRYM_Swimmer — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:01:24 GMT

He was at the First Australian Masters Swim Meet in Sydney, March 1974, although he didn't swim there. Dawn swam a 50 Free and still looked good. I think I have a clipping somewhere with a picture of them at that meet. Very fine gentlemen and a hero to all of us who saw him in his prime.

RE: The passing of Murray Rose

Allen Stark — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:48:45 GMT

He was one of my first swimming heroes.I wish his family the best.

RE: The passing of Murray Rose

knelson — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:37:00 GMT

Thanks for the bio, Skip, and RIP to Murray!